Balancing equations.

[405404782 Gabriel Rigole 4F]

What are some good tip for when it comes to balancing equations?

[Venus_Hagan 2L]

I would say to try to balance the most difficult molecules first. Some molecules like O2 that are just one element can be easily adjusted without effecting other things you have previously balanced. If you leave these towards the end, then you will have to do less adjusting overall.

[VLi_2B]

Balance metals, then non-metals, and finally oxygen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq3Mps6YqfU&app=desktop

[Ariana Iranmahboub1G]

I would first count the number of atoms for each element on both sides. Then, you would want to balance an elements once at a time. I would typically recommend to do Hydrogen and Oxygen last. Lastly, check to make sure each element has the same number of atoms in the reactants and in the products.

[Catherine Daye 1L]

A good trick is to write down a mini chart under the equation where you write down the elements and the number of moles for the reactant side and product side. Ie Reactants --> C 3, O 1, H4 Products --> C 1, O 2, H 2. This might help you keep track of your numbers without making your work too messy.

[CalvinTNguyen2D]

It's always best to start with the more rare elements first when balancing, then steadily make your way to the more common ones like Oxygen or Hydrogen! It's also very handy to keep a registrar of sorts to keep track of the different element you have!

[Ryan Juncker 3D]

The best tip Dr. Lavelle gave in class that's been helping me is to balance the element that occurs in the most molecules in the equation first then work down to the ones that don't show up as much. This way you don't have to go back and make as many changes if balancing one atom affects another.

[HanaAwad_4B]

Balance what there is less of first. Also, keeping continuous track of what each side has and being organized helps a lot.

[Mandeep Garcha 2H]

I would say to balance the element that occurs the least and work your way up to the one that occurs the most. And always remember to double check that you successfully balanced the equation without any mistakes because it is easy to accidentally ignore an element.

[xenamclean_1G]

I would say a good way to balance an equation is to begin with the least occurring element first and then to work your way up from there. I would go back and forth and write down each step of the way one by one and then in the end double check to make sure it is the same on the left and right of the equation.

[kristi le 2F]

Also, when balancing equations, you can check your work when you're done to make sure you did it right. This has helped me catch errors multiple times.

[simmoneokamoto3K]

Generally, when balancing equations, the general rule is that the number of elements on one side should be exact to the number of elements on the other side, so if one element has even one more than the other side, that means you have to rethink the question. Hope this helps!

[705198479]

For balancing equation I usually separate all the elements and start off with C O and H

[Mackenzie Van Val 3E]

I agree with what Catherine said; I think that creating a mini chart that shows the quantity of each element as a reactant (for example, C: 1, H: 3, O:2) and then as a product (which could be something like C:4, H:5, O:1) and then finding a way to make those numbers match is a super helpful tip. I also like to write in potential coefficients in a different colored pen. It helps me to see my possible answers in a separate color that makes them stand out from the original equation, and it feels less like I have to commit to the coefficients I'm writing down.

[Carly_Lipschitz_3H]

There are two tips that have really helped me to balance chemical equations. In high school chemistry I learned to make a chart. On the left side write "reactants" and on the right side write "products". Then on the side of the chart write each of the elements present in the reaction. For example "C", "H", and "O" if those are your elements. This visual representation helps to make sure that there is an equal number of moles of each element on both sides of the chemical equation. Something I learned recently in watching Dr. Lavelle's lectures was also to start off balancing the equation by balancing the elements present in the most molecules throughout the reaction. This makes it easier when going on to balance the elements that occur less throughout the equation. By using this method, you won't have to make as many changes to the molecules.

[alexandralopez 3F]

Hi!
When i was reviewing balancing chemical equations, I found this video from khan academy to be really helpful :) Hope it helps!

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap- ... troduction

[Ralph Zhang 2L]

In my opinion generally it is better to first balance the metals, as there are usually less of them, then do gases such as O and H. Make sure to do only one element at a time and keep checking both sides to make sure there are no mistakes.

[Jonathan3B]

I like to make a sort of table with the amount of molecules of the reactants on the left side and the amount of molecules of products on the right side. I will update the numbers in the table as I go so all the information I need is organized and clean.

[AntonioZarich2E]

I've found the most success when I start with the one that appears in the formula the least and then work my way up. If the equation is especially difficult, I'll make a table with the amount of products and reactants on either side and keep track of it that way.

[Gustavo_Chavez_1K]

What I recommend is counting how many of each element there is in total on the reactant side and then counting the total of the same element on the product side and writing that down. By knowing how much of each element there is on each side, one can then take note on which side they will have to make edits to for each element (the side with the lowest amount of an element is the one that must be edited). After that it is quite simple as you just add a number into the equation that would multiply with the stoichiometric coefficient to the amount that is equal to the same element on the opposite side.

[Mariah Disc 2C]

I believe Lavelle suggested to start with whatever compound there is less of first!

[Lauren Strickland 1B]

When balancing chemical equations I find it helpful to add up how much of an element I have on each side and write it down so I can compare each side of the chemical equation, and from there I balance it. After I balance it I always repeat the process of adding up how much of an element I have on each side of the equation and compare it to make sure they are equal.

[Cooper_Geralds_3B]

As far as balancing equations, I recommend always starting with the element that is least abundant and then moving to the next least abundant element, and if it ever comes down to needing for example 6.5 as the coefficient to balance one side, use the fractional form of 6.5 --> 13/2 and then multiply the entire equation by 2 to get rid of the fraction and guarantee all whole numbers in final equation.

[Ashley Lopez 3J]

When balancing chemical equations, I suggest starting off with the element that appear or occurs less times and then move your way to the next elements based off of that. It is important to remember that the coefficients have to be the lowest whole number, so double check. Also, it is okay to multiply both sides of an equation by a number because it does not affect the atom type (do this when one of the stoichiometric coefficients is not a whole number after you have balanced the equation).

[Armen_Isayan_2L]

Hello, when it comes to balancing equations there exists much simpler and larger equations. In regards to the simpler equations, all you have to do is come to a conclusion of how many atoms are on each side and add coefficients to the molecules on each side of the equation until the number of atoms are balanced out. However, when you are balancing larger equations, write out the number of atoms per element and begin assigning coefficients to balance out the equation. I believe writing out the equation on two separate sides gives you a better perspective in balancing the equation.

[Rachel Kho Disc 2G]

I also am confused about balancing equations that have polyatomic ions? For example I know this is supposed to be balanced already:

3 Pb(NO3)2 + 2 Na3PO4 --> Pb3(PO4)2 + 6 NaNO3

But I'm not sure how that can be when there aren't any parentheses around the second molecule in the reactants and the second molecule in the products? Also for the first molecule on the reactants side why would there be 6 moles of NO3 instead of 9 because of the 3 in front of the whole molecule?

[Carolina Gomez 2G]

I like to write all the elements vertically under the center of the chemical equation. On the left side, I write down the number of molecules for each element on the reactant side. On the right side, I write the amount of molecules for each element on the product side. After doing so, I balance the elements that are present the least on each side and then balance the ones that are present the most like Oxygen. As I balance it I cross off the number of molecules of each element and update it based on the coefficient to keep track of how many molecules are on each side. In the end both sides should have the same number of molecules for each element.

[JakeSaum_1A]

I write down how many of each element are on each side of the equation. For example in NH3 + O2 --> N2 + H2O
1N 2N
3H 2H
2O. 1O

From here, I add numbers to the equation and change them in my list underneath until all numbers match on both sides.

[205323697]

I usually write down the amount of atoms on both the reactants and the products and I balance the element that occurs the least and I continue to do this until the very end, if I am stuck on one element towards the end, I multiply both sides of the equation by a specific number and if you do that then it will not effect the balance between the reactants and products.

[Taha 2D]

I personally like to balance the elements of which there are only one on both sides first and then proceed.

[Maryeli Garay 2H]

I like to just take a look at the reactant side (left) first, and count the number of atoms in the molecules. Then, I look at the products (right) and make sure the # of atoms is the same. If not, then you can get to balancing. I go ahead and add coefficients onto the molecules that need them, and then make the coefficients whole numbers if they aren't already.

[Madeline Ogden 3B]

I typically like to get the harder elements out of the way and leave the easier ones until the end. This way if you have to re-adjust any of your calculations towards the end, only the easy to balance elements are left which makes it harder to make a miscalculation. Making a chart of how many moles of each element are on both the reactant and product sides also helps.

[Gabriel Nitro 1E]

Hi,

When I was in high school, a good tip I used when balancing equations was to first rewrite the equation on a separate piece of paper and ensure I wrote it down correctly. Next, I would start balancing whatever was the most convenient first (i.e. the atom in least amount) and then proceed from there. However, I'd also look for little clues in the subscripts if the equation tends to get more complicated. For instance, if there are ionic compounds present instead of looking at individual atoms, I may consider whole polyatomic ions to save myself some time. Or, I would look at specific factors in subscripts and find the least common multiple (i.e. if I saw 2 and 3 on the subscripts of separate oxygen atoms on both the reactant and product side, I know I would need to have 6 or at least a factor of 6 oxygen atoms on both sides).

Hope this helps! :)

[Adam Bustamante 1I]

I've been told to go in order from least occurring to most occurring in the chemical equation while balancing. Also, writing each element/compound underneath both sides (reactants and products) help me keep track of where I am in balancing because you can just start crossing them out and seeing if they match up on top.

[asalest 2K]

What I always do is that I count and balance. from the left. So I look at the first element from the left, make sure its balanced on both sides, then move on to the next elements. And when I'm done with that I just make sure that all my coefficients are whole numbers, then I just do a quick check one last time and I'm done.

[Moura Girgis 1F]

When balancing chemical equations, I found that what helps me best so that I am not confused between the different, changing, numbers for each element, is to list all elements on both the reactant side and product side, and when the numbers change in each element, it is best to cross out the previous existing numbers to avoid confusion.